LOWELL, Mass. – Following a three-game road trip to start the season, the UMass Lowell men's soccer team returns to Cushing Field to host the Merrimack Warriors (1-3) on Saturday night in the team's home opener. 
  
September 9 vs. Merrimack (7:00 p.m.)
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LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks enter Saturday's match coming off a 2-1 defeat to Boston University on Sunday afternoon. Against the Terriers, graduate student Matthias Stingl (Deggendorf, Germany) tallied his first goal of the seasom while sophomore Calvin Scholten (Hengelo, Netherlands) added an assist for his first point as a River Hawk. In net, junior Adam Henry (Fort Myers, Fl.) made the start, totaling two saves in 90 minutes of action. 
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Danielle Mastroianni currently leads the River Hawks with four points, all coming from the 2-1 victory over Northeastern. Behind him, sophomore Oliver Holmstrom (Gävle, Sweden) and Stingl total two points off a goal each, while four players have tallied an assist. Henry leads the River Hawks goalkeeping unit, making two starts with eight saves and a 1.5 goals against average. 

FRESH FACES
Eleven of the newest members of the squad have made at least one appearance in the first three games, including three who have started in every match. Out of the newest River Hawks, freshman Danielle Mastroianni (Montréal, Quebec) leads the way in scoring with four points, while sophomore Kotaro Natsume (Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan) and Scholten each add a point of their own.

CONFERENCE HONORS
Following his impressive performance against Northeastern, Mastroianni was named the America East Rookie of the Week on September 5. The award marked the first of the rookie's young career and the first for a River Hawk this season. 

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
The Warriors head to Lowell following a 2-0 victory over Boston University. Forwards Johan Feilscher and Michael Koralishn lead the Merrimack offense with a goal each. In net, Alvaro Rodriguez has made three starts in the team's four games, totaling 14 saves with a 1.33 goals against average. 

A WIN WOULD 
A win on Sunday would give the River Hawks a 2-1-1 record, marking the best start to a season since 2018.

MATCHUP HISTORY
Saturday will be the ninth time these teams have matched up, with UMass Lowell leading the overall series, 5-3. In their most recent matchup, Merrimack claimed a 2-0 victory during the 2022 season.